We Were Here: A New Adult Romance Prequel to Geoducks Are for Lovers (Modern Love Stories Book 1) (30 page)

Heidi pressed close against me. She might as well have been in my lap. My back pressed against the corner of the couch, with nowhere else for me to go to give her space.

“Oh, hi.” Always polite, Maggie stepped forward. “Hi, Mark. Who are your friends?”

He introduced the girls.

“Gil’s more my friend.” Heidi’s nails dug into my skin as she wrapped her hand around my upper arm. With her words, she left no doubt about her perceived claim on me.

Maggie’s smile faded from polite to fake.

Knowing this looked bad, I jumped over the arm of the couch and stood up. “Anyone want a beer or soda? You guys need help with your bags?”

My roommates shook their heads.

“We won’t interrupt. It’s been a long drive.” After a silent conversation with their eyes, Lizzy pulled Maggie down the hall, leaving a pile of sandy bags by the door.

Selah remained standing there, shooting daggers at the new additions. “You look familiar. Didn’t I have an art theory class with you?” She directed the question at Heidi.

Heidi giggled. “Oh, we don’t go to Evergreen. We’re studying cosmology.”

“I think you mean cosmetology. Or are you studying the origins of the universe?” Selah’s voice had gone icy.

More giggling followed. “No, silly. We’re going to be hair stylists. Duh.”

Selah’s eyebrow arched like a cartoon villainess about to go in for the kill.

I stepped between her and the girls. “I didn’t invite them over,” I whispered.

“Then get rid of the STD Twins,” she whispered back. “Not cool to have a party on a Sunday night when most of us have to work in the morning.”

She gave me the out I had been looking for. “Listen, Mark, I’ve got an early shift at the printers. Better call it a night.”

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It barely read nine o’clock. Nodding in understanding, he agreed.

Heidi leaned back into the couch cushions. “I don’t have to go do I, Gilly?”

Gilly wasn’t my name. Or a nickname.

“It’s Gil. Or Gilliam.”

“Willy’s short for William. So Gilly is short for Gilliam?” She twirled a permed lock of hair around her finger.

“She’s got you there.” Mark and Tammy stood up. “Come on, girls, let’s find some real food and let the old people go to bed.”

“I thought you’d be more fun.” Heidi exaggerated her bottom lip into a pout so deep a bird could’ve perched on it. Her hand grazed the front of my jeans as she walked by me on her way to the door.

I jerked back my hips to avoid full contact. More than obvious, she’d made her intentions clear. I locked the door behind them to be on the safe side.

“These Are Days” ~ 10,000 Maniacs

THE DAY OF
the big going away party we all hung out on the roof one last time. A couple other friends joined us early before things got out of control as our parties tended to do.

“We need a group picture to capture the moment,” Lizzy announced as the sun began to sink, casting us all in a golden light.

“Nothing gold can last.” Maggie butchered the quote, but we all understood her reference.

“Pony Boy, go get one of your cameras.” Selah pointed at Quinn.

He disappeared down the stairs. Returning, he carried one of his many Polaroid cameras. He had a collection of them from old Land models with the peel-back film to this snappy black model with built-in flash. He called over Mike to take a group pic.

“Which way should we face? I don’t want to be squinty.” Selah stood with her hands on her hips.

“Do the sun in the background.” Quinn stepped around her and faced away from the sun.

We shuffled together. Maggie and I in the middle with Lizzy to her left. Selah and Quinn in their matching flannels and cut-offs flanked Lizzy’s other side. Ben stood beside Jo, who squeezed in next to me, her golden hair glowing in the late afternoon light.

“Should I stand between Q and Selah to break up their dynamic super hero twin flannel powers?” Lizzy asked.

My arm around Maggie, I patted Lizzy’s head in a weird dog version of a high five.

Maggie giggled beside me.

“Form of a grungy college student,” I whispered to Maggie.

She tilted her head back and really laughed as the flash went off. “We should redo it. I was laughing and my lids were closed,” she said as the camera spit out the exposed print.

“Too late.” Quinn studied the back of the camera. “No more film.”

We waited for the print to finish developing. Quinn shook the white-framed photo.

“Shaking it doesn’t do anything.” Lizzy stood on her tiptoes to see the image.

“It makes the wait go by faster.” He held up the Polaroid. “It’s a keeper.”

“Let us see!” Selah demanded.

Ben didn’t even look at the camera. He stared at Jo, who looked like her head was on fire from the way the light played on her hair. Maggie’s eyes were shut and she’d angled her head back. My hand covered most of Lizzy’s head and kind of looked like I squished her down. She’d been right about the flannel. Next to her, Quinn and Selah did look like twins whose mother dressed them alike, right down to their matching combat boots.

My own shoulder-length hair could be pulled back into a decent ponytail, but I wore it down unless it was too hot, or in the way when I played bass.

“It’s a terrible pic. My head is glowing like an alien.” Jo sighed.

“Says you. I think Selah and I look amazing. My legs look fantastic in these shorts.” Quinn held up his palm for a high five with his twin.

Selah slapped his palm. “We’ll never be this young or fabulous again. These are the days, my friends.”

“I plan to grow more fabulous as I age.” Quinn puffed out his chest.

Maggie pulled his short ponytail. “Aslan, I’m not sure any of us could handle you being more spectacular than you already are.”

Ever since Quinn grew his hair out, he resembled a lion. One night of too much cheap Mountain Rhine wine, he’d let Lizzy braid his hair and tie it with red scrunchies like the mean girls wore in
Heathers
.

I thought he looked more like the Cowardly Lion in the Emerald City than the beloved king of Narnia, but I knew enough not to delve into a pointless debate about lions.

Anytime anyone brought up a lion, he’d break into the king of the forest song from
Wizard of Oz,
proving what an incredible drama queen the lion really had been. The last time it happened, he and Lizzy had skipped across the quad singing at the top of their lungs about wizards.

People spread out all over the apartment and roof as the party hit its peak. I’d lost track of Maggie and needed to find her. Tonight was my last shot. She and Lizzy left early tomorrow morning.

Once I made sure she wasn’t on the roof, I continued my search for her in the overcrowded apartment. I followed raised voices, including Maggie’s, into the hall to the bedrooms.

“What are you even doing here? Who invited you?” With crossed arms and a scowl, Maggie blocked Heidi’s path.

“What are you doing here? Who invited you?” Heidi parroted Maggie’s words.

“Oh, you’re a charming one in your crop-top and acid-washed jeans. First, I live here. In fact, the room you were attempting to enter is mine. The first explains the second question.”

Heidi’s expression went blank as she processed, or attempted to process, Maggie’s explanation. “Prove it.”

I took a step closer to the hall, but Lizzy stopped me. “Let Maggie handle this. She’s been wanting to take down your groupies for months. Think of this as a parting gift when she’ll be on the other side of the world for a year.”

“She what?”

Lizzy shushed me.

“Listen, Heidi, is it? You crashed this party and you should probably go back to whatever corner you came from.”

Ignoring Maggie’s dig, Heidi pushed back her shoulders. “Mark invited us.”

“Mark doesn’t live here. He didn’t have the authority to invite you to
my
going away party.”

“You’re a real uptight bitch.” Heidi got up in Maggie’s face.

Instinctively, I stepped forward. Lizzy yanked me back by my T-shirt.

“And you’re a skank. Gil’s never going to sleep with you. Ever.” Maggie jabbed her finger in front of Heidi’s face.

Heidi lunged at Maggie. I lunged at Heidi. Lizzy got dragged along behind me because she still held onto my shirt.

Maggie slapped my groupie.

“Whoa,” Lizzy whispered over my shoulder. “I didn’t think she had it in her.”

Unfortunately, Heidi swung her arm to retaliate. And missed, stumbling into the wall. As she fell, she tried to pull Maggie down with her.

“Enough!” I raised my voice over the music. Stepping around Heidi, I checked on Maggie.

“Gilly,” Heidi whined from the floor. “Did you see that bitch hit me?”

“Who are you calling a bitch, skank?” Maggie made a fist.

Trying not to laugh at her tough girl act, I closed my eyelids and shook my head. I pulled Maggie to my side and addressed the mess on the floor. “You need to stop calling her a bitch and maybe she won’t slap you again.”

“Why? Is she your girlfriend?”

Maggie’s arm curled around my waist and she tucked two fingers into the front pocket of my jeans. “It isn’t any of your business, but I am.”

I held my face as still as possible to avoid showing my shock. I kissed the top of her head to hide my ridiculous grin. This was the best moment of my life and I wasn’t going to spoil it by questioning anything.

Lizzy caught my eye and mouthed, “Ohmygod.”

I shrugged in response. The crazy situation could always be used as an excuse for my actions.

“Mark said you didn’t have a serious girlfriend.”

“Mark doesn’t know anything.”

Heidi sneered and scrambled upright.

“We live together. How stupid can you get?” Maggie wrapped her other arm around my front, holding onto me like a koala. Perfect analogy. I heard they’re vicious in the wild. I wouldn’t want to go up against Maggie right now either.

“There’s like twelve of you living here. Unless it’s some sort of sex commune, I’m calling bullshit.” Evidently, Heidi didn’t know when to cut her losses and back down.

“Maybe this will shut you up.” Maggie grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me down to her level. Our eyes met for a second, and the world paused. She blinked. Once. Twice.